USMNT vs Uruguay: ‘The best game of our lives would be great, but that doesn’t happen often’

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After the 2-1 loss to Panama on Thursday night in Atlanta, U.S. men’s national team captain Christian Pulisic was asked how he would accept the challenge of facing Uruguay on Monday with his team’s Copa America hopes in the balance.

“Just as we accept any challenge,” Pulisic said. “We have to go and we have to represent our country with passion and pride. We have to go and play the best game of our lives and that’s it.”

Pulisic demurred when asked about that quote again on Sunday.

Yes, the U.S. needs a result against a very good Uruguay side in order to advance to the eight-team knockout stage, assuming Panama beats Bolivia, defeated in both matches so far by a combined score of 7-0, in the other Group C game happening at the same time. Yes, there is immense pressure on the U.S. to get out of the group. But there are paths to getting it done that don’t require otherworldly performances.

“Thinking back, I don’t think that’s true. I don’t think we have to play the best game of our lives,” Pulisic said. “Maybe I was a bit emotional.

“I think we have to play a really strong game. I know we have a good enough team that can do that — put on a really good performance. That means coming out with intensity from the start, not letting emotions get the best of us, sticking to our game plan, trusting that we have a good enough team and that eventually, over the 90 minutes, we can grab a goal and go ahead and win the game.

“So, I think we just need a really strong performance. The best game of our lives would be great, but that doesn’t happen often.”

It will take something special to beat a very talented Uruguay team, even if coach Marcelo Bielsa — adored by Leeds United fans after leading the English club back to the Premier League in July 2020 after 16 seasons in the second and even third tiers — will be missing from the dugout. The Argentine will serve a one-match ban tonight after his team emerged late for the second half of last week’s 5-0 win over Bolivia.

For a U.S. team that has not yet registered a marquee win outside of its region, Monday presents a prime opportunity to cross that off the list.

Here’s a look at what’s at stake for Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. men’s national team, and what you need to know ahead of the group finale in Kansas City (9 p.m. ET).

What’s at stake?

The U.S. sit in second place in their Copa America group, but after falling to Panama last week in Atlanta (a game in which they played with 10 men for 70 minutes) they now likely must get a result against one of the tournament favorites in order to advance to the quarterfinal.

A win would likely secure passage to the next round for the U.S., though the three points alone might not be enough. The U.S. have a two-goal advantage over Panama in goal differential, which is the first tiebreaker in this tournament. So, if Panama beats Bolivia in Orlando, the U.S. not only needs to beat Uruguay, they need to do so while protecting that two-goal advantage.

The U.S. would also advance to the knockout stage with a draw if Panama and Bolivia also tie or if Bolivia beats Panama. They could even advance to the knockout stage with a loss if Bolivia beats Panama and fails to close a substantial goal differential gap with the U.S. The U.S. currently sits at plus-1, while Bolivia sits at minus-7.

Panama is favored to beat Bolivia, in a game that will kick off at the same time.

While Uruguay have not secured passage through to the next round after two games, they sit comfortably atop the standings with six points and a plus-7 goal differential and only need to avoid a four-goal loss to the U.S. in order to stay in front of the hosts in the standings.

The winner of Group C will play a last-eight tie against the runner-up in Group D (Brazil or Colombia) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, on Saturday, July 6. The team which comes second in Group C will progress to face the winner of Group D (the other of Brazil and Colombia) at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona, also on July 6.

Results so far:

• June 23: USMNT 2-0 Bolivia; Uruguay 3-1 Panama
• June 27: USMNT 1-2 Panama; Uruguay 5-0 Bolivia

Key areas to watch

The U.S. will face an interesting balance between utilizing and embracing the emotion of a crucial game in front of a home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, and also having to find a way to not open themselves up too much against a Uruguay team that is incredibly dangerous pushing forward.

“Looking at Uruguay, they do a couple of things just really, really high level,” Berhalter said. “The intensity that they play with, the speed at which they play, how they maintain the intensity throughout the game is different level. Looking at the data, they are above and beyond other teams in this tournament.

Bielsa gives instructions during Uruguay’s win over Bolivia (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

“And then the second thing is counter-attacking, transition. When they win the ball, they immediately get behind the back line. And that’s something we need to be prepared for.”

Uruguay’s dominance has been led by Liverpool’s Darwin Nuñez and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, though they are bolstered by players including Facundo Pellistri, 22, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Manchester United to Granada, Flamengo’s Nicolás de la Cruz and Toluca’s Maximiliano Araujo.

So what’s it like facing a Bielsa team? “You get the ball back and they’re on you immediately, forcing a mistake,” says Paul Warne, who came up against Bielsa’s Leeds while managing Rotherham United in 2018-19. “Before long, it starts to get into your head and it tires you out. If the ball runs to your full-back, he either has to be sure to pick the perfect pass there and then or they nick it back and they’re on top of you again. It becomes exhausting. You don’t get time to breathe.”

The U.S. back line and midfield will be tasked with limiting Uruguay’s impact, and it will be interesting to see how they go about replacing Tim Weah on the right wing after his red card against Panama.

Weah provides verticality and the ability to take players on 1-on-1. There isn’t a like-for-like sub in this U.S. team, though Berhalter has options such as Haji Wright and Brenden Aaronson, and could also move Gio Reyna out to the wing and play with the 2022 World Cup midfield of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah.

Finally, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner was substituted at halftime against Panama after suffering a left leg injury. The early signs were positive but Turner only took part in limited training over the weekend and his availability to face Uruguay is not confirmed.

Turner was injured after falling heavily against Panama (Eliecer Aizprua Banfield/Jam Media/Getty Images)

Who are the managers?

Marcelo Bielsa took over Uruguay in May 2023 and the team known as La Celeste (Spanish for the light blue of their home shirt) has thrived under the famed manager, going 9-2-3, including wins over both Brazil and reigning Copa America and World Cup champions Argentina in World Cup qualifying. Bielsa, who coached his native Argentina at the 2002 World Cup, has also led Chile’s national side and coached several club teams, including, most recently, Leeds United.

Bielsa is suspended for the U.S. game (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Bielsa, though, will be suspended for this match due to Uruguay coming out late from halftime in the win over Bolivia. Long-time assistants Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga will direct the team.

The U.S. is led by Gregg Berhalter, who was hired in 2019 and led the team through the last cycle into the 2022 World Cup, where they advanced from the group before falling to the Netherlands in the 16-team first knockout round.

Berhalter, the former coach of Columbus Crew in MLS, is 44-16-13 in 73 matches as USMNT head coach and 29-8-7 in 44 matches in official competitions. The U.S. has won three consecutive CONCACAF Nations League crowns under Berhalter.

Berhalter acknowledges U.S. supporters after the win against Bolivia (Aric Becker/AFP via Getty Images)

Who’s said what?

Uruguay assistant coach Reyes on Bielsa’s absence: “We as a staff have been working with Marcelo for a very long time and the preparation for the game is something that we do as a team. Naturally, Marcelo’s absence due to the suspension is important, we are taking every precaution so that it affects us as little as possible, but we are sure that even though Marcelo isn’t there, we’re going to be able to implement everything we have been working on not only for this game, but for a very long time.”

Pulisic on the big picture value of advancing in the Copa America for the sport’s growth in the United States, which co-hosts the 2026 World Cup with neighbors Canada and Mexico: “It’s a major tournament. We’re all extremely motivated, we want to put on a really strong performance and especially on home soil. Here in the U.S., we want to show everyone that we’re here to compete with the best. We want to continue in the tournament because that’s just our competitive nature.”

Berhalter on playing smart, but aggressive, against Uruguay: “It has to be measured. It’s a 90-minute game, it’s not about exposing yourself or opening yourself up in the first minutes of the game, it’s about the complete performance. … It’s about managing the game accordingly and knowing that they have some really good strengths; they have some weaknesses also, and we have to be mindful of that. Our job as a staff is to prepare the players, to stay calm, and prepare for different scenarios that may arise in the match.”

How can I watch?

In the United States, the game will be broadcast live on FS1 in English, and on Univision and TUDN in Spanish.

(Top photo: Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)